Man charged with aggravated manslaughter in 6-year-old niece's death

Uncle originally charged with child neglect in A'letha Burke's shooting death

SANFORD, Fla. – Sanford police have upgraded charges for the man arrested in the shooting death of his 6-year-old niece after police say the girl could not have accidentally shot herself.

Erik Williams was charged Wednesday with aggravated manslaughter in the March 1 death of A'letha Amanii Marie Burke. He was originally arrested March 2 on child neglect and unsafe storage of firearm charges.

Police said they first received a 911 call reporting that A'letha was admitted to Central Florida Regional Hospital for an apparent gunshot wound to the shoulder. During the initial investigation, police said A'letha was injured while handling the unsecured firearm that accidentally discharged and that Williams let her play in the area where the firearm was stored under the living room sofa.

After analyzing evidence from the scene, police said they determined it was not possible that A'letha could have fired the handgun and accidentally shoot herself.

"Based on the distance from the entry of the wound and the type of handgun and the safety mechanisms of that handgun, that it was physically impossible for her to have fired that weapon," Bianca Gillett with the Sanford Police Department said.

The Volusia County Medical Examiner's Office ruled A'letha's death was a homicide.

Police said the investigation determined that Williams was witnessed to have the firearm on multiple occasions and was the only adult at the home at the time of the  shooting, so charges were upgraded to aggravated manslaughter of a child by culpable negligence.

Officers say even though Williams' story contradicted the physical evidence, they do not think the shooting was intentional.

"She passed over nothing malicious or with intent, just sheer being irresponsible and that's the true tragedy to it," Gillett said.

A judge set Williams' bond at $15,000 and said that he can't have any weapons or firearms as part of the bond conditions.

Williams' mother was also in court Wednesday. She tells News 6 she doesn't know what happened that night, but claims her son is innocent.

"I know he didn't do it, I know that. The truth is going to set him free," Rosalind Williams said.


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